1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of the play NOT THE FILM of Real Women Have Curves. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?” The play takes place in East Los Angeles, in a tiny sewing factory, in what many would consider a “seedy” neighborhood. The play takes place during the first week of September, in the year 1987. The people involved include Anna, a young 18 year old recent high school graduate and aspiring writer who hopes to fulfill her dreams of attending university in New York. Ana works for the time being at the sewing factory owned by her older sister, Estela. Carmen, Estela and Ana’s aging mother, also works at the factory, as well as Rosali and Pancha. The dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves in is that the immigration police are patrolling the streets and Estela is unable to get her green card because of prior offenses(petty crimes). She is trying to fight the charges placed against her, however, she is short of money. Moreover, she must pay the company for her use of the sewing machines, and she has yet to pay her employees. Estela has one week to make one hundred dresses so that the company that buys dresses from Estela’s shop can pay them. However, if the dresses are not complete, they get no money and Estela is at great risk of getting deported to Mexico. 2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken in the play and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play? The intrusion that occurs in the play would be the moment that the women find out that Estela does not in fact have a green card. The women are now placed in a situation where their future is no longer assured as Estela could be taken up by the immigration police at any moment. They must not work impossibly fast so that the dresses are made so that they may all be paid and Estela may be able to fight the charges made against her, preventing her from obtaining a green card.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place? It is of importance that they location of the play takes place in California, Los Angeles to be exact, in the 1980s. This is of significance because right before this, in 1986, Ronald Reagan enacted and signed into law the Immigration Reform and Control Act. This outlawed the practice of employers hiring illegal aliens, and ultimately cracked down on immigration within the United States. The ramifications of this law passing is seen in the frequency of deportations that occured in the late 1980s, as well as justifies the urgency and fear that Estela and her friends possessed throughout the play. The unique factor within the play is that this was the day that Ana finally tells her story to the audience. Prior to this Ana had written in her journals in her bathroom, as she states within the play, however, it is the first time that she makes an attempt to relay her story for the “autobiography” that she mentions. It is an attempt on her part to use her voice and articulate her thoughts as a writer; and following the course of the play and the finale the hope that there will be a brighter day following the dramatic situation that they have been placed in reinforces the audience’s faith in Ana.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.) Will Estela be deported? What happened with Estela’s date with El Tormento? Will Ana go to University? Will the women complete the task of making the dresses? Will Pancha and Estela reconcile? Will Estela get the money to pay the women?
5. Use Ana, the central character, to answer the questions. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is, the dramatic actions that are taken by that character. Examine what Ana wants (NOTE: In Real Women Ana's wants seem to be in flux. They change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles. Ana aspires to be a writer, her wants consist of attending university in New York and living out her dream as a writer. The main obstacles that Ana faces are “me vs society”, “me vs myself”, “me against fate”, as well as “me vs individual”, individual in this case being Ana’s family. Ana as a latino women struggles at times to accept herself, especially in the face of her latino community. She is constantly told, especially by her mother, that she is fat and unworthy of love by a man due to her weight. Moreover, instead of her worth being judged by her intelligence or character, Ana is told that it is how attractive she is that is important. Estela faces this challenge herself as her romantic interest valued her not by how ambitious and willful she was, but by her body. Ana rails against this by preaching feminism and women’s rights- her modern American education primes her immensely as demonstrated by her cry for women’s autonomy following the radio show broadcast. Ana must combat a society that tells her that because of her financial situation she is incapable of finding success and living out her dreams. “Me vs. myself” is also an obstacle that Ana faces as she struggles at times with self-doubt, especially as she is surrounded by those who are not necessarily supportive of her endeavors. She is afraid that she will end up like her mother, unable to realize her dreams because of financial debt. She is relieved that she at least has as green chard because she no longer has to live in fear, however, her fear of her own shortcomings is present in the play. “Me against fate” is present in the the play as Ana struggles with her financial situation and whether or not she should accept the factory as her lot in life. Because her mother resigned and toiled and continues to toil without living out a dream, Ana feels that she is obligated to do the same. For a bit she feels that because she was born in this situation she must forever inhabit this space, working for her sister, forever writing in the bathroom. She holds out hope though, because in seeing her sister living out her dream, no matter the struggle and pain to keep it alive, she sees her future and what could be her fate. She then considers herself not a victim of fate, but the shaper of her own destiny.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Real Women Have Curves. The most theatrical moments in the play occur when we find out that Estela is not legal, as well as when Estela and Pancha resort to fisticuffs in the heat of the moment. Moreover, when Carmen states that the immigration police are coming for Estela, and the scramble that ensues right after the women reconcile and engage in a moment of sisterhood and liberation also play for a dramatic moment. These moments illustrate the tension and what it seems asc constant turmoil that the women must endure, especially being that of a minority woman in America. Moreover, it illustrates their resolve and their determination for after the fights, the scares, the intense moments, the rebirth and the revivification of their relationships showcase their strength and their perseverance. 7. Provide at least three examples of images in Real Women. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”) The images that are present in the play consist of Estela’s red dress, the women laughing and comparing stretch marks in the heat of the factory, and the stains of the mole on the cleaned dresses. The title Real Women Have Curves aide us in comprehending these images for they all represent the wilful resistance of these women to beauty standards imposed on them. They are of value and are worth more than their dress sizes. Estela creating her dress exemplifies how she found the beauty within herself by creating a dress that showcased her beauty and elegance regardless of her weight. It was the weight that made her beautiful, the curve of her waist and the bulk of her body that made her a “real women”. An honest, authentic, intelligent, genuine woman, unconcerned with what appeals to the male gaze. The women laughing in the shop in their brassieres and underwear also illustrate how real women have curves because in that moment they were able to look past what they initially thought hindered them, and show how it in fact made them beautiful, and authentic, and honest. They were able to accept themselves and be the “real” women that they wanted to be, and this image was a testament to that. Moreover, the mole on the impossibly small dresses illustrate the notion that real women have curves in that it symbolized the affront to beauty standards that these women were. The mole, or food, that which was important in the culture and the lives of these woman, that which gave them “curves” ultimately ruining the “elegant” dresses, dresses that fit women that were unlike them, dresses that encouraged the impossible beauty standards that plagued these women. By illustrating the ruined dress with mole, the notion of real women possessing curves, real women that indulge in mole and aren't afraid of their size, grows apparent. 8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Real Women. Family, Sisterhood, Friendship, Insecurity, Confidence, Hope, Aspiration, Fear, Feminism, “Latinidad” 9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Real Women? Is family redefined in this play? If so, how and why? Family possess a great role in this play as in many ways Family proves to be a great hindrance to Ana. the inability of her family to pay for her school, as well as her family’s seemingly lack of faith in her ability to live out her dreams affects Ana. Ana’s feeling of obligation to her family is what keeps her at the factory, and what ultimately precludes her from realizing her dreams. However, as the ending shows, the women, represented a family in their own right. The struggle that they endured together to help Estela because they cared about her, and the generosity in which they gave up their checks so that she could cover her costs represented the expansion of family within this play, in that the women were willing to sacrifice for the wellbeing of their “sister”.
The play takes place in East Los Angeles, in a tiny sewing factory, in what many would consider a “seedy” neighborhood. The play takes place during the first week of September, in the year 1987. The people involved include Anna, a young 18 year old recent high school graduate and aspiring writer who hopes to fulfill her dreams of attending university in New York. Ana works for the time being at the sewing factory owned by her older sister, Estela. Carmen, Estela and Ana’s aging mother, also works at the factory, as well as Rosali and Pancha. The dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves in is that the immigration police are patrolling the streets and Estela is unable to get her green card because of prior offenses(petty crimes). She is trying to fight the charges placed against her, however, she is short of money. Moreover, she must pay the company for her use of the sewing machines, and she has yet to pay her employees. Estela has one week to make one hundred dresses so that the company that buys dresses from Estela’s shop can pay them. However, if the dresses are not complete, they get no money and Estela is at great risk of getting deported to Mexico.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken in the play and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play?
The intrusion that occurs in the play would be the moment that the women find out that Estela does not in fact have a green card. The women are now placed in a situation where their future is no longer assured as Estela could be taken up by the immigration police at any moment. They must not work impossibly fast so that the dresses are made so that they may all be paid and Estela may be able to fight the charges made against her, preventing her from obtaining a green card.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
It is of importance that they location of the play takes place in California, Los Angeles to be exact, in the 1980s. This is of significance because right before this, in 1986, Ronald Reagan enacted and signed into law the Immigration Reform and Control Act. This outlawed the practice of employers hiring illegal aliens, and ultimately cracked down on immigration within the United States. The ramifications of this law passing is seen in the frequency of deportations that occured in the late 1980s, as well as justifies the urgency and fear that Estela and her friends possessed throughout the play. The unique factor within the play is that this was the day that Ana finally tells her story to the audience. Prior to this Ana had written in her journals in her bathroom, as she states within the play, however, it is the first time that she makes an attempt to relay her story for the “autobiography” that she mentions. It is an attempt on her part to use her voice and articulate her thoughts as a writer; and following the course of the play and the finale the hope that there will be a brighter day following the dramatic situation that they have been placed in reinforces the audience’s faith in Ana.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
Will Estela be deported?
What happened with Estela’s date with El Tormento?
Will Ana go to University?
Will the women complete the task of making the dresses?
Will Pancha and Estela reconcile?
Will Estela get the money to pay the women?
5. Use Ana, the central character, to answer the questions. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is, the dramatic actions that are taken by that character. Examine what Ana wants (NOTE: In Real Women Ana's wants seem to be in flux. They change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles.
Ana aspires to be a writer, her wants consist of attending university in New York and living out her dream as a writer. The main obstacles that Ana faces are “me vs society”, “me vs myself”, “me against fate”, as well as “me vs individual”, individual in this case being Ana’s family. Ana as a latino women struggles at times to accept herself, especially in the face of her latino community. She is constantly told, especially by her mother, that she is fat and unworthy of love by a man due to her weight. Moreover, instead of her worth being judged by her intelligence or character, Ana is told that it is how attractive she is that is important. Estela faces this challenge herself as her romantic interest valued her not by how ambitious and willful she was, but by her body. Ana rails against this by preaching feminism and women’s rights- her modern American education primes her immensely as demonstrated by her cry for women’s autonomy following the radio show broadcast. Ana must combat a society that tells her that because of her financial situation she is incapable of finding success and living out her dreams. “Me vs. myself” is also an obstacle that Ana faces as she struggles at times with self-doubt, especially as she is surrounded by those who are not necessarily supportive of her endeavors. She is afraid that she will end up like her mother, unable to realize her dreams because of financial debt. She is relieved that she at least has as green chard because she no longer has to live in fear, however, her fear of her own shortcomings is present in the play. “Me against fate” is present in the the play as Ana struggles with her financial situation and whether or not she should accept the factory as her lot in life. Because her mother resigned and toiled and continues to toil without living out a dream, Ana feels that she is obligated to do the same. For a bit she feels that because she was born in this situation she must forever inhabit this space, working for her sister, forever writing in the bathroom. She holds out hope though, because in seeing her sister living out her dream, no matter the struggle and pain to keep it alive, she sees her future and what could be her fate. She then considers herself not a victim of fate, but the shaper of her own destiny.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Real Women Have Curves.
The most theatrical moments in the play occur when we find out that Estela is not legal, as well as when Estela and Pancha resort to fisticuffs in the heat of the moment. Moreover, when Carmen states that the immigration police are coming for Estela, and the scramble that ensues right after the women reconcile and engage in a moment of sisterhood and liberation also play for a dramatic moment. These moments illustrate the tension and what it seems asc constant turmoil that the women must endure, especially being that of a minority woman in America. Moreover, it illustrates their resolve and their determination for after the fights, the scares, the intense moments, the rebirth and the revivification of their relationships showcase their strength and their perseverance.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Real Women. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
The images that are present in the play consist of Estela’s red dress, the women laughing and comparing stretch marks in the heat of the factory, and the stains of the mole on the cleaned dresses. The title Real Women Have Curves aide us in comprehending these images for they all represent the wilful resistance of these women to beauty standards imposed on them. They are of value and are worth more than their dress sizes. Estela creating her dress exemplifies how she found the beauty within herself by creating a dress that showcased her beauty and elegance regardless of her weight. It was the weight that made her beautiful, the curve of her waist and the bulk of her body that made her a “real women”. An honest, authentic, intelligent, genuine woman, unconcerned with what appeals to the male gaze. The women laughing in the shop in their brassieres and underwear also illustrate how real women have curves because in that moment they were able to look past what they initially thought hindered them, and show how it in fact made them beautiful, and authentic, and honest. They were able to accept themselves and be the “real” women that they wanted to be, and this image was a testament to that. Moreover, the mole on the impossibly small dresses illustrate the notion that real women have curves in that it symbolized the affront to beauty standards that these women were. The mole, or food, that which was important in the culture and the lives of these woman, that which gave them “curves” ultimately ruining the “elegant” dresses, dresses that fit women that were unlike them, dresses that encouraged the impossible beauty standards that plagued these women. By illustrating the ruined dress with mole, the notion of real women possessing curves, real women that indulge in mole and aren't afraid of their size, grows apparent.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Real Women.
Family, Sisterhood, Friendship, Insecurity, Confidence, Hope, Aspiration, Fear, Feminism, “Latinidad”
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Real Women? Is family redefined in this play? If so, how and why?
Family possess a great role in this play as in many ways Family proves to be a great hindrance to Ana. the inability of her family to pay for her school, as well as her family’s seemingly lack of faith in her ability to live out her dreams affects Ana. Ana’s feeling of obligation to her family is what keeps her at the factory, and what ultimately precludes her from realizing her dreams. However, as the ending shows, the women, represented a family in their own right. The struggle that they endured together to help Estela because they cared about her, and the generosity in which they gave up their checks so that she could cover her costs represented the expansion of family within this play, in that the women were willing to sacrifice for the wellbeing of their “sister”.